


happy birthday, pretty boy

by halfwheeze



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Dom!Zuko, Face-Fucking, M/M, Sub!Jet, hinted at Azula/Ty Lee/Mai, this somehow ended up as submissive!jet? who knew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-03 21:23:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16333667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfwheeze/pseuds/halfwheeze
Summary: zuko's birthday is in a few days, and he deserves the best. jet just wants to give that to him.





	happy birthday, pretty boy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lsegerst](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lsegerst/gifts).



> this is for my good friend leah, who's birthday actually is in a few days! she's my jetko trash partner in crime, and she deserves every single word of this and so much more. 
> 
> leah, this was going to be wholesome, but then it wasn't. it be like that in this bitch of an earth.

If given his druthers, Jet would kill Ozai himself. He would make it slow, torturous, and not even for the poverty that the slumlord had cast over even Jet's own family, which had resulted in Jet's own parents working themselves to death, though that was a bitter bonus. No, rather, it was for the life of his Zuko, a sunshine boy in his own right, that Jet would like to kill Ozai for. Zuko, who had never asked for anything from him, but who Jet would like to give the world someday. Jet kept in temper in careful check when thinking about Ozai, because Zuko did not deserve the anger that Jet held beneath his skin, and Jet would never make him receive it. 

"It's fine, J, I promise," Zuko attempted to assuage, his voice even colored with laughter and a smile as it crackled through the phone. It was Zuko's birthday in a few days, something that Jet had been planning for for months, and Katara, Aang and Sokka all had to work, leaving Zuko alone with just Toph and Jet himself. Smellerbee and Longshot could come to hang out, sure, but Jet didn't want to overcrowd Zuko with his own friends on a day meant for Zuko, a day which Jet would like to make completely fantastic for his boyfriend. Unfortunately, fate saw fit to make that really fucking difficult for him. 

"I'm excited for your birthday, Z, and I just want you to have fun," Jet admitted, reaching up on one of the shelves to grab a wrench. He wasn't really supposed to be on the phone at work, but Teo, the head mechanic, was hardly going to stop him if Jet wasn't supposed to be actively talking with a customer. It wasn't like Teo didn't know Jet's boyfriend, nor how he felt about him, though most everyone probably knew how Jet felt about Zuko. Strangers probably knew how Jet felt. 

"Jet, it's fine. I haven't really gotten ever excited about it anyway. It just wasn't... something to be excited about, when I was a kid, you know," Zuko explained, and there it is. There's the stumbling explanation for why Jet would like nothing more than to punch Zuko's father directly in the mouth, no holds back, just in the game of breaking teeth. It's an old desire, angry and scrambled, because Zuko's childhood made him feel unimportant in his own home at best, and some other shit that Jet could not think about right now at worst. Ozai was a lucky bastard for being in jail. 

“Well, pretty boy, you’re an adult now, and you can be excited about whatever you want,” Jet replied, holding his phone between his shoulder and his ear as he worked on the car before him. It was a relatively simple job, which was why he was comfortable being on the phone at all; despite all of Teo’s forgiveness, Jet wouldn’t personally be into being distracted if it were delicate work, or even something that took heavy lifting. Zuko sighed on the other line. 

“You’re not going to give this up, are you?” Zuko asked. The words were exasperated but the tone was all barely masked fondness, feigned irritation and the barest edge of disbelief that made Jet want to hold him close. Jet just wanted Zuko to feel how appreciated, how loved, how  _ needed  _ he was, without feeling overwhelmed or suspicious or whatever the fuck else response that Ozai had programmed into Jet’s boy. He just wanted Zuko comfortable in his own skin. A thought occurred to him, almost belated in its obviousness, and he pauses in what he’s doing, holding the phone to his ear with his hand now. 

“Alright, pretty boy, I have to work. I’ll see you when I get home, yeah?” Jet said, wishing he could drag the conversation on for the two hours left of his shift, but knowing that it would be easier if he got plans in motion now. The people he needed to call were good on short notice, but it would be better if he called sooner rather than later. He could almost hear Zuko’s disappointment on the opposite end of the call, and wished again that he could keep on the phone with his boyfriend for a little longer. 

“Yeah, okay. Have a good rest of your day, J,” Zuko said, a slight sigh, before hanging up. Jet wished he was brave enough to say I love you first, even if it was just over the phone. Maybe one day. 

He had some phone calls to make.

* * *

 

It was a little cliche, now that they practically lived together - a drawer full of Jet’s things in Zuko’s dresser and a toothbrush by the sink - but Jet picked up flowers and wine on his way home anyway, revelling in the idea of coming  _ home  _ to Zuko. He was inarguably one of the best things that had ever happened to Jet, even if their first meeting was so confused in identities and secrets, and even if it had taken years for them to trust one another again as friends, and years more for them to start dating. All of it was worth it for Zuko. It was awkward to carry flowers or wine on a motorcycle, so Jet was glad that he took Zuko’s car to the machine shop today. It was a sleek little black number, beautiful, and one of the many reasons that Jet had began to talk to Zuko at all really. But, that was a long time ago. 

He fixed his hair as he took the walk up to the apartment, which just meant that he ruffled it even more than the open windows on the ride home provided. Zuko liked him best a little ruffled, a little undone, a little rough around the edges. He had changed clothes before making his way out of the shop, into an outfit that he kept in the shop specifically in the event of wanting to impress his boyfriend right after work. He was a man of class, after all. Where others might have a full suit, maybe a blazer, Jet had a white button up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, tight straight cut dark wash jeans, and a pair of combat boots. He knocked on the door to their apartment despite the key burning in his pocket, a grin overtaking his features. 

“Why did you kno-” Zuko cut himself off breathlessly, his eyes scanning over Jet to pause deeply on both his forearms and on the cut of his jeans. Jet’s grin slid into a smirk easily as he held out the flowers, the bottle of wine having been left in the car. 

“Wanna get out of here, pretty boy?” Jet said, the look he’s giving Zuko softening with his affection. It was a callback to the first time he had ever asked Zuko out, which Zuko had immediately taken as an inappropriate come on rather than what it was: Jet’s asshole way of asking him out on a real date. They had gotten coffee time and time before, but Jet had known even then that he wanted so much more than that with this boy, right now, with all the baggage that the two of them carried. They could carry it better together. 

“Jet, what are we doing?” Zuko asked, narrowed eyes breaking his expression of awe into suspicious pieces. This suspicion, rather than making Zuko look scared, made him look curious instead, just this edge of playful, and Jet grinned in return. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know. Put on your shoes, Z. You look fantastic,” Jet replied, rushing his boyfriend back into his apartment. While most people might wear pajamas to lounge around the house on their day off, Zuko’s outfit wasn’t entirely dissimilar to Jet’s own, though he wore a red button short sleeved button up rather than white and long sleeved, and his pants were black and pressed. He put on shoes that were more military issue than Jet’s fashion standard combat boots, just letting Jet have his fun rather than arguing; it was an old fight. Jet had taken him on an adventure that Zuko couldn’t control on their first date and had continued to do so on random dates throughout their relationship, loving every single time he could give Zuko that little surprised look he would get, delighted and shocked by it. 

“The vase is in the cabinet above the microwave. Can you give me any hints this time?” Zuko needled, lacing up his second boot before he stood. Jet went about putting the pale pink peonies into the vace, adding two broken up aspirins into the water before the flowers. Zuko, who had grown up with a garden, had shown him that the first time Jet had bought his boyfriend flowers. 

“No hints. You’ll like it, though, I promise,” he provided, spreading out the flowers a little before turning around. Zuko leaned up to press a kiss to his lips, Jet’s hands immediately moving to Zuko’s hips as Zuko took hold of his face. It was the greeting kiss that Jet hadn’t really realised that he’d been wanting all day, and a part of him relaxed as the two of them sank into each other. 

“There you are,” Zuko said as they pulled apart, and Jet loved how this boy knew him. He brushed his thumb over the scant section of skin that he could reach as Zuko’s shirt just barely rode up; Zuko pushed him away immediately as a pink tone crawled up his throat, spreading over his face sweetly. 

“Um, anyway, let’s go, yeah?” Zuko coughed. Jet grinned and nodded, taking Zuko’s hand to place a kiss on the back of it before using it as a means to drag his boyfriend out of the apartment. He made sure to lock it behind him before pulling Zuko down the hallway and into the elevator, pressing the key for the first floor. He watched as Zuko turned red all over again, as he always did whenever the two of them were in the elevator together. On their first date, Jet had pushed Zuko up against one of the four walls of this tiny little cubicle, and kiss the breath out of him. He hadn’t done it since, but it had stuck enough in Zuko’s mind that Jet could practically see him thinking about it. 

“We’re in your car today, rather than on the bike,” Jet said, stroking his thumb along where he was still holding Zuko’s hand. Zuko nodded as the elevator reached the first floor, pulling Jet out into the lobby and then into the parking lot. He didn’t even bother walking to the driver’s side of his own car, rather going to the passenger side as he broke their held hands apart. Jet had a theory about Zuko liking him to drive just so he could stare, but he would never say it aloud to Zuko. Even if it  _ would  _ make him blush pretty. 

“Wine?” Zuko asked, eyebrows raised, as Jet climbed into the driver’s seat. It hadn’t occurred to him to stash in the backseat, but he just shrugged, making Zuko shrug as well as he let it drop. Zuko messed with the radio as Jet backed out of the parking space, pulling out of the lot smoothly before definitely speeding down the road. Zuko didn’t react as he once had, by now used to the way that Jet casually disregarded any and all traffic laws as if they didn’t apply to him. 

Zuko plugged his phone in to put his own music on, Hozier rolling out of the speakers before long. It was  _ Shrike,  _ which Jet liked well enough, so he didn’t feel a need to voice any complaint. About four minutes into the drive, Jet saw Zuko narrow his eyes out of the corner of his own, turning to look at Jet. 

“This is the way to Sokka and Katara’s. Are we going to Sokka and Katara’s? Are you  _ dressed up  _ for Sokka and Katara’s?” Zuko questioned, looking between Jet and the highway as they travelled further down it. Jet let a bit of a grin slip past his tightly held neutral expression, though he did not answer. “You’re a menace. You’re not going to talk until we get there, are you?” Zuko asked further, lamenting his frustration through sighs and crossed arms. Jet was at peace knowing that the crow’s feet around Zuko’s eyes spoke of an amusement, because otherwise he might be worried Zuko was actually annoyed. 

“Well, I could tell you about how pretty you look. Or, I could tell you about what I want to do to you later. Or, maybe, how I want to take you into the shower and get on my knees and-” Jet stopped as a hand clapped over his mouth, grinning as he immediately stuck his tongue out to lick it. 

“You’re disgusting and a child. This better be worth going out for,” Zuko ground out, hiding his obvious arousal behind an attempt at annoyance. Jet grinned and stayed silent until they pulled into Katara’s driveway, hopping out of the car and sliding over the front of it so that he could open Zuko’s door in time. 

“Sir,” he said, smiling at Zuko’s rolling eyes. 

“You’re a nuisance,” Zuko replied, fond, kissing his cheek before taking his hand and dragging him up to the door. Zuko knocked on the door after they made their way up the porch, but Katara was already opening the door, pulling the both of them inside. The entire house went from blank, black darkness to a shower of light and noise as Katara flipped the switches on the wall, turning on the overhead lights as every single person Zuko had ever known and loved jumped into the center of the room, a ringing yell of  _ Surprise!  _ seeming to do just that, making the poor boy turn white as a sheet.

“Oh my fucking god,” Zuko said, a quiet rasp as the room fell back into silence, and then everyone, including Zuko himself, burst into laughter. Zuko turned and pressed his face into Jet’s shoulder, clinging to him for a moment as if to steel himself. Jet knew that Zuko wasn’t that much for surprises, but it was all he could manage; with everyone’s schedules this week, it was the only way that he could get everyone together for Zuko’s birthday.

“Good or bad?” he asked quietly, gauging on whether he needed to walk Zuko outside for his boyfriend to calm down. Zuko rubbed his face along Jet’s shoulder softly. 

“Good, J. You did so good,” Zuko replied, and normally that kinda thing was more Zuko’s thing, but it spread warmth into Jet’s entire body as Zuko said it. He loved making Zuko happy in any single way that he could, and this was  _ easy.  _

“Happy birthday, pretty boy,” he whispered, nosing at Zuko’s hairline just before Zuko pulled away, seeming to have drawn enough strength to move away. Iroh stepped out of the crowd to hug his nephew as the boy stepped out of his boyfriend’s arms, and Zuko accepted it with another littler burst of laughter, his happiness leaking out beautifully. The entire party passed like that, with Zuko’s laughter and the happiness of everyone at the party bubbling, and Jet felt good. Even Azula and her girlfriends seemed perfectly peaceful in their quiet celebration of Zuko, tentative in the way that only siblings like Azula and Zuko can be. At the end of the night, Zuko was pleased and flushed with wine, leaning into Jet as they walked out to the car, Katara sending them off with a promise that Jet would come by tomorrow to help clean up. It was his day off, might as well.

“You’re so pretty,” Zuko said into Jet’s collarbone, hot breath against it before he bit into it, teeth making little divots into the skin. Jet smiled and pushed Zuko off of his collarbone with a hand to the forehead, lifting him off just enough so that Jet could press a kiss to his lips, the hand already on his face sliding to his jaw as the other took purchase on his hip. Jet let himself be pressed against the car as Zuko took what he wanted, hot hands sliding down all over Jet’s chest with vigor. 

“Go home, shitcans!” Sokka shouted from the porch, tossing an empty beer can that was likely meant to hit Jet in the head. Jet lifted a hand to flip him off before breaking off the kiss, setting his forehead against Zuko’s. 

“We should probably go home, baby,” he said, quiet and gentle, to which Zuko nodded reluctantly. Jet kissed him on the forehead and crossed the car back over to his own side, climbing into it and grabbing Zuko’s hand as soon as the car was successfully started. The drive home felt twice as long as the drive to Katara’s, but it could have been the way that their hands were resting on Jet’s thigh, Zuko’s thumb throwing across the inner part of it. When Zuko stopped stroking, it was enough for Jet to look up, finding an adorable sight: Zuko had fallen asleep. Jet smiled as he parked the car and climbed out, crossing to the other side to lift his boyfriend out of his seat. That surely woke him up. 

“Jet! Put me down!” Zuko laughed as he swatted at Jet, immediately awake and aware, though still drunk based off of both basic logic and the flush to his face. Jet, in fact, did not put his boyfriend down, and instead carried him bridal style across the lobby and into the elevator. He put Zuko down onto his own two feet in the elevator, only to push him against the wall like it was their first date all over again. He kissed Zuko with all the fire he kept for this man, this person who knew Jet more than anyone ever had, this person who had seen the ugly in Jet and had stayed anyway, this person who Jet loved. He loved him so much. 

“I love you,” he said between kisses, and he felt the moment that Zuko realised what he had said, hands stalled out against his shoulders. The elevator dinged as they reached their floor. 

“Bedroom,” Zuko replied, leaving no room for argument. That was as good of a reply as any, Jet supposed, though the burning in his chest didn’t agree with him. He had hoped for a return, but so long as Zuko wasn’t freaking out about it, this was okay. He could learn to be okay with this. He led Zuko into the apartment as he unlocked it unsteadily, Zuko kissing his neck to distract him so much he almost dropped the key. Zuko pushed him across the living room and into the bedroom, pulling at his shirt. 

“Zuko, I -” Jet started, but he was stopped by Zuko grabbing his shirt. 

“If you want to keep the buttons on this, I recommend taking it off yourself,” Zuko said, tone sharp and commanding in a way that rushed directly to Jet’s dick. He rushed to just yank the shirt over his head, not caring at all for the way it kinda stuck on him, and instead just forcing it over his head. Zuko’s hands immediately took purchase on his chest again, shoving him down onto their bed. Jet hissed as Zuko pressed biting kisses into his neck and then down his chest, stopping to play with his nipples. 

_ “Fuck,  _ Z, please,” Jet begged, not sure what he was asking for. He was rewarded with Zuko’s hand sliding downward, cupping Jet’s dick through his jeans. Zuko had never been dominant like this, and it was making Jet reconsider all of the things he had ever even considered about their relationship. If Zuko was like this when he was dominant, Jet might be submissive for the rest of his fucking life. 

“Pants. Off,” Zuko commanded, leaving no room for any suggestions, and Jet followed immediately. His boxers followed immediately, based off of the look in Zuko’s eyes alone. 

“Look at you,” Zuko said quietly. “I love you so much. You’re so pretty, so handsome, so nice to look at. Look at you, Jet. You call me pretty boy, but  _ look at you.”  _ Jet felt himself flush a dark red as Zuko looked at him, unfamiliar in its newness, and he felt as if he was made of spun glass. He was used to feeling strong, stone, and was surprised by how  _ good  _ it felt to be suddenly delicate, and he leaned forward a little, pressing a kiss to Zuko’s lips. Zuko pushed him back down to the bed but kept the kiss, taking it over as he slid his tongue into Jet’s mouth. It was a soft kiss, full of their shared intimacy, and Jet wanted to carry this feeling around with him. 

“You should definitely be naked. Why aren’t you naked?” Jet asked, sudden, as he realised that he was still gripping onto Zuko’s button up shirt as they kissed. Zuko grinned and pulled off his shirt, shucking his pants as he was half stood as well. His boxers came down with them as well, and Jet swallowed as he saw the way Zuko’s cock bounced against his stomach as it came out of them. 

“What do you want, J? You want me to suck you off?” Zuko asked, and the vulgar question sounded like honey coming from Zuko’s mouth. However, Jet shook his head, still focussed on the head of Zuko’s cock as it already leaked pre-come. He imagined the weight of it against his tongue, weighing in his mouth, the head of it against the back of his throat. It would be heavy, he thought. It would nearly choke him, if Zuko took control of Jet bringing him off, and Jet took care not to react to his own thoughts. 

“Wanna suck you off, actually. Think you can handle that, pretty boy?” Jet asked, attempting to reclaim some of the control he was used to holding in both hands. Zuko’s grin slid from a small thing to something that stretched across his entire face as he leaned down to cup Jet’s jaw. Jet almost shivered as the feelings of submission crawled down his spine again, making him want to do exactly whatever this man told him to do, at the exact point in time that he told him to do it. 

“Want me to fuck your face, J? I think that’s what you want, baby,” Zuko nearly purred, taking a harder hold on Jet’s jaw as it nearly dropped open. Jet did shiver this time, looking up at his boyfriend with a grin. 

“Please, Z. That’s what I want,” Jet said, scrambling onto his knees and then onto the floor on them. He kneeled in front of Zuko, looking up at him like he was an altar to pray to, before letting his mouth fall open. Zuko wasted no time in cupping his jaw, slowly sliding his cock inside to let Jet adjust. 

Zuko had the best cock that Jet had ever had in his mouth, in Jet’s honest fucking opinion. It was thick, just enough to make his jaw get the gentle ache that he liked, and long enough to hit the back of Jet’s throat even when Zuko wasn’t fucking into it. Zuko began with gentle rolls of his hips, letting Jet get used to the movement before making it more harsh, and Jet moaned and opened his throat more, delighting in the way the one of Zuko’s hands moved to pull his hair. 

“You’re doing so good, J. Touch yourself for me,” Zuko told him, and Jet listened automatically, settling his right hand on his cock without a thought. The mixture of the touch of his own hand and the hot weight of Zuko in his throat had Jet getting off quickly, faster than Zuko, and he wasn’t even mad about it. Zuko thrust into his mouth a last few times and came down his throat, Jet swallowing it all. 

“You did so good, baby. You’re so good,” Zuko said as he pulled Jet onto the bed, stroking his hair and back to comfort him. Jet clung to him as they climbed into bed and put his head against Zuko’s throat. He didn’t trust himself to speak much, so it was in a whisper when he replied. 

“Anything for you, pretty boy.” Zuko grinned and put a kiss on his forehead, stroking back his hair. 

“I love you, J,” he replied, his smile softening. 

“Love you too, Z.” 

**Author's Note:**

> hope you liked it, leah! and, i suppose, everyone else!


End file.
